


sidewalk angels echo hallelujah

by nooelgallagher



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Miracles, the lightest of angst, what more could you want honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 21:52:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nooelgallagher/pseuds/nooelgallagher
Summary: “It’s Christmas,” his mum says, like that changes anything. “And miracles work overtime at Christmas. Look at you.”When Louis' dog goes missing 7 days before Christmas, he doesn't have much hope for a Christmas reunion. But miracles come in all shapes and sizes, and Harry just might take the form of his.





	sidewalk angels echo hallelujah

**Author's Note:**

> This story was meant to be published last year, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it after Jay passed - the last day I worked on it was the day she died and it didn't feel right.
> 
> A year later, I'm ready to share it.
> 
> Dedicated to Jay and her Christmas miracle.
> 
> Title from "A New York Christmas" by Rob Thomas. Story loosely based on the Hallmark movie "The Christmas Shepherd."
> 
> To learn more about all the amazing work Rob and his wife Marisol are doing to help animals in need, check out their organization Sidewalk Angels at http://www.sidewalkangelsfoundation.org/.

On December 18th, sometime between 3:28 and 3:31 in the afternoon, Molly goes missing.

Standing in front of his slightly-cracked open front door, big cardboard box of clothes in hand and a stunned expression on his face, Louis feels his heart drop into his stomach just as the box drops to the floor with a thud.

A quick sweep around his bottom floor proves that Molly isn’t there, and it’s with shaky fingers and a pounding chest that Louis rips his phone from his pocket and dials the most recent number.

It takes Liam four rings to answer. “What’s up?” he asks. “I literally just left you, like, fifteen min-”

“Molly got out,” Louis cuts him off, already frantically running around his upended flat covered in boxes and newspapers and a couple of pizza boxes from his and Liam’s lunch looking for his keys and Molly’s leash. “I left the door open. She got out. Fuck, Liam.”

“Okay, okay,” Liam says on a calming breath but Louis barely hears it, barely hears him say, “She can’t have gone far. We’ll find her, Lou.”

Louis lets out a frustrated groan when he finds a set of keys that are not his new flat keys. “Fuck,” he hisses, throwing them to the ground. “I’m such a fucking idiot. I never leave the door open.”

“You’ve been in and out of the flat all day, Lou.” Liam’s voice sounds fuzzy in his ears. “You know she’s been biting at the bit to get out and explore. It’ll be okay.”

Louis retrieves his keys from under a pile of bath towels he’d shoved on the side of the sofa. He spots Molly’s leash kicked halfway under it. “I’m going out to find her.”

“I’ll come with you,” Liam replies. “Give me five minutes and meet me at the Starbucks two blocks from your flat.”

“Okay,” Louis says and hangs up without another word, already pulling on his jacket. He shoves his phone into his pocket and runs out the door, barely sparing a thought to lock the door behind him.

He _cannot_ lose Molly. Absolutely, positively _cannot_ lose her. His brain is an angry, worried, frustrated mess as he steps onto the street and looks both ways in a fruitless attempt to see if maybe, possibly, Molly is still nearby. But knowing Molly, she could be in fucking Sheffield by now.

The Santa on the street corner jingling a bell only irritates him, so Louis takes off in the direction of Starbucks. He runs his eyes down every alley he passes, hoping to spot Molly playing with garbage like she likes to do or maybe begging for a piece of someone’s scone. By the time he’s standing outside Starbucks, Molly’s leash is cutting into his palm and turning the skin an angry red. Louis’ clenching his teeth even though his dentist told him that’s what contributes to his jaw pain but he’s fucking allowed, alright? He’s a jittery, anxious jumble by the time Liam walks up to him a couple of minutes later. His first instinct is to push his best friend off when Liam goes to hug him, but he melts into the embrace a second later and lets out the sob his busy brain wouldn’t register before.

Liam takes him by the shoulders, all big hands and muscles, and gives him a good shake. “We’ll find her, Louis. We will. I promise.”

It’s an empty promise, Louis’ ever-logical brain pipes up, because there is no way that Liam can _know_ for sure they’ll find Molly and therefore he can’t promise anything. But right now it’s the only comfort Louis has, so he nods half-heartedly and allows Liam to steer him in any direction.

The first hour, they cover the blocks surrounding Louis’ flat. They peer down into the tube because they know Molly likes watching the trains fly by (and that sets off Louis’ anxiety even more when he thinks about how dangerous it is down there for her). The second, they scope out the whole park, separating to take either side and meet in the middle. Louis hovers around the food carts and the trash bins to see if Molly tried to beg for snacks. No luck. It’s dark by the time they circle back to the Starbucks.

When they’re standing in almost the exact spot they were before they began their search, Louis barely manages a broken, “Liam,” before he’s swept up into a hug again.

“We’re going to find her,” Liam reassures him, rubbing a hand down his back. It’s that hand and the familiar scent of Liam’s cologne and hairspray that keeps Louis calm, if only for a moment. “We’re going to keep looking. I don’t care if we plaster every pole in London with her photo. We’re going to find her, Louis.”

Louis nods because that’s all he can do. He steps away from Liam, feeling more miserable and scared than he’s felt in...years, probably. Tonight he was meant to be unpacking. He was going to curl up on the sofa with Molly and a beer and whatever shit he could find on TV. He wasn’t meant to be spending the night alone.

“First thing tomorrow we look again,” Liam tells him. “Do you have a good picture of her? I’ll print up some posters.”

“Yeah,” Louis replies, even though he wants to say _What good are posters going to do?!?!_ It’s London. It’s huge. It’s busy and dangerous and the chances of Molly finding her way home are… Louis cuts that train of thought right there because he can feel his throat close up.

“Are you listening to me, Lou?” Liam cuts into Louis’ hazy, blurry thoughts. “We won’t rest until we’ve found her, okay?”

Louis wants to thank Liam a million times over, wants to hug him to death because he showed up on a moment’s notice to help Louis find his dog, wants to beg him to stay the night because Louis is scared and doesn't want to be alone. Louis just nods and smiles sadly.

Liam departs with one more, lingering, bone-crushing hug with promises to be at Louis’ flat first thing the next morning. Louis walks slowly back to his flat, barely seeing the strings of rainbow and white lights hanging from the shops he passes. It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all.

\---

It’s basically freezing, but spending all day on his sofa eating nothing but crisps and cereal has Harry feeling gross and lazy. It’s half past four when he heaves himself up, throws on a thermal shirt and his reflective trainers, and steps into the cold.

Evening runs are often Harry’s favorite because he can run faster than the London traffic and it makes him feel speedy (he’s not really all that speedy). The cold air cuts into his lungs and burns his insides, but it feels good. Makes him feel like he’s being productive when he spent the day being a sloth. Niall always makes fun of him for these lazy day-induced runs because Harry, as he puts it, “Could eat an entire wedding cake and not put on any weight, ya tosser.” That is emphatically _not_ true. Harry came quite close to eating an entire wedding cake when he worked at the bakery back in Holmes Chapel and a wedding was canceled. He didn’t get out of bed for two days. He still can’t stomach too much buttercream.

Evening runs, especially around this time of year, are always extra lovely. The shops have their Christmas lights on display, hanging from windows and doors and lighting up the streets. He can spot Christmas trees in windows covered in sparkly, colorful bulbs and tinsel and glowing with lights. As the sun continues to set, and Harry settles into his run, he breathes in the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg as coffee shop doors open around him. It smells like his mum’s pumpkin pie back home. Even the puddles he has to dodge on the sidewalks don’t bother him, remnants of cold London rain that drapes the city instead of snow this time of year.

He likes to do one full lap around the park before heading back home. It tends to be quieter this time of night with people packing up to go home, the night air cold and breezy and ultimately not conducive to sitting outside for long periods of time. Plus, there’s one tree in particular that Harry absolutely adores. It’s decorated with icicle lights and red ribbons with a rainbow star at the top. It’s so unique compared to the other trees, the rainbow star a bright, random beacon in a sea of yellow ones. It makes him love it even more.

It’s as he’s passing this tree, eyes on the star above him, that he nearly trips. His legs run into something soft but firm, like a fluffy brick. He stumbles and grabs hold of the tree, fingers cutting into the needles. He catches his breath and looks down to see...a dog.

A gorgeous tan dog with dark brown stripes along its head, nose, and torso has parked itself directly in Harry’s preferred running path. Its tail is beating down against the ground as it wags it, panting and staring up at the star at the top of the tree. Harry glances around for an owner, but no one is paying the dog any mind. It also doesn’t have a leash.

“Hello,” Harry greets the dog, bending down slowly so he doesn’t spook it. The dog looks over at him and keeps panting, its tail picking up speed as it wags. Harry holds out a hand for the dog to sniff and is met with a smooth, slobbery tongue. He giggles as the dog licks at his palm and fingers and goes back to looking up at the tree. “You’re a friendly one, aren’t ya?”

Naturally, the dog doesn’t reply. Harry leans a bit closer to investigate. He’s not quite sure what kind of dog it is. Maybe a golden retriever, though Harry’s never seen one with dark brown marks like this one. He spots a bright blue collar around its neck. He gently pats at the dog’s head and runs his fingers through the fur until he can grab hold of the collar. He spins it to see if there is an identification tag.

Hanging from the collar is a simple, silver bone. On it is engraved: Molly. If Found Please Call Louis. A string of numbers follows, along with an address in Doncaster.

“Molly, huh?” Harry asks. At the sound of his name, the dog lets out a playful woof and turns to lick Harry’s chin. “You're a long way from home. So where’s your Louis, then?” he asks.

Harry stands up and looks around again, thinking maybe Molly ran off during a walk and the owner is looking for her. She doesn’t have a leash, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t snap off or something. Again, people are walking by him and not sparing a second glance.

Molly woofs excitedly up at the tree and that makes Harry grin. He kneels back down in front of Molly and rubs his hand through the soft fur at her neck. He tugs at the collar so the bone ID tag is exposed again and pulls his phone from his pocket.

He dials the number and the phone only rings once before an automated female voice tells him, “I'm sorry, the number you're trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again.”

“Shit,” Harry mutters, ending the call and peering down at the giant ball of fluff licking at the knees of his joggers. He shoves his phone back in his pocket and peers down at Molly, whose tongue is lolling out of her mouth and seemingly completely at ease with the situation. “What are we going to do with you, girl?” Harry asks rhetorically, brain already whirring to see if it’s something that would work.

He pulls his phone back out of his pocket, the glare from it bright and obtrusive on his eyes. He didn’t realize how dark it had gotten already. He scrolls through his recent calls and taps Niall’s name.

“Yo yo yo, Harry-o,” Niall chirps at him down the line and Harry rolls his eyes fondly. He pats absentmindedly at Molly’s neck.

“Hey Ni,” he greets. “Random question. Do you have any spare dog food on hand?”

“Um,” Niall hums, the line going silent for a moment. Harry hears Niall groan as he undoubtedly cranes his neck to peer around his flat rather than get up. “Yeah, I do. Why?”

“I found this dog in the park during my run. I can’t get a hold of her owner, the number is dead. So I was going to bring her home for the night.”

“What a good little samaritan you are, Haz,” Niall says.

Harry just smiles, exasperated even though Niall can’t see it. “I didn’t want to pick up a whole bag in case I don’t have her long. Do you mind sharing the wealth? I’ll bring you a mint hot chocolate.”

“Deal,” Niall replies. Harry hears him stand up and begin walking, most likely in the direction of his kitchen if the creaky floorboards are anything to go by. “Do you want roasted bison, salmon, or roasted lamb?”

Harry barks a laugh and giggles when Molly echoes him with a low bark of her own. “How many bags do you have?”

“Well, I have roasted fowl too, but I’m low on that and I don’t think it’ll be enough.”

Harry laughs, “Uh, well, whatever you recommend. I’m hoping it sits well with her. I’m not sure what she’s used to eating.”

“Probably the salmon, then,” Niall replies. Harry hears a bag opening and the crackle of food pellets rattling around. “I think it’s the best for sensitive stomachs.”

“Great,” Harry replies. “I’ll be by in like twenty. I won’t stay long.”

“You can stay as long as you like. Do you want me to order some food?”

“Well I won’t say no to that. All I’ve had is crisps and Cheerios.”

“Lame,” Niall says. “Okay, I’ll get something. And don’t forget that mint hot chocolate!” he adds on.

“Got it,” Harry laughs. “See you in a few.”

“Cool,” Niall says and hangs up.

It’s completely dark now, but Molly is lit up under the sparkly lights of the tree they’re still under.

“How about it, Molly?” Harry asks, leaning down to rub the fur matted under her collar. She nudges him with her nose and licks at his hand. “Ready to meet Niall?”

\---

Picking a good recent photo of Molly to send to Liam is, to put it mildly, traumatic. He can’t help but tear up as he scrolls through the pictures he took of Molly in the car just two days before. He chooses one of Molly perched on the seat staring Louis down and forwards it to Liam before collapsing onto his sofa and cuddling into a throw pillow.

Moving to London a week before Christmas was not exactly Louis’ ideal scenario, but it was the only time he could make the trip from Donny before he starts his new job after Christmas. Thank God he’d had Liam or else he’d have gone completely mad. Between coordinating with his new job, packing up his old flat, making the trip to London, and trying to unpack - all while trying to stay afloat of the holiday bustle - Louis has felt like his nerves have been frayed for weeks. He was planning on going back home for Christmas and to pick up any odds and ends he left there, but now he can’t even imagine leaving London when Molly is missing. It’s unfathomable.

He’s also kicking himself in the ass over not updating her dog tags _before_ he got to London. It was just one item on his ridiculously long to do list, something he kept putting off because it didn’t seem like high priority. Now, though, his dog is running around a huge city with dog tags giving his old address and phone number and even if by some miracle someone picks her up they have no way of getting ahold of him. It should have been a high priority, it should have been his _number one_ priority. He fucked up.

He stares blankly at the TV for a good fifteen minutes, an airing of Love Actually mocking him from his vegetated state on his couch. He loves that movie but at the moment he wishes he could delete it from the planet. Eventually he mutes it and unlocks his phone, scrolling through his contacts until it lands on the only person who has any chance of calming his nerves and soothing his heart.

His mum, bless her, rarely takes longer than two rings to pick up and tonight is no different. “Hello, love!” she greets, voice cheery because she obviously has no idea of what just happened.

“Hi mum,” he answers and he’s embarrassed to hear how his voice is already cracking.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, voice instantly on alert. “What happened?”

“Molly,” he says, wasting no time of getting to the point. “She… She got out. I can’t find her.”

“Oh dear,” she says, “Louis, I’m so sorry.”

“I feel like such a fucking idiot. I thought I shut the door, but you know me and Liam were moving stuff in and out all day and he left and I wasn’t paying attention and she must have been able to nudge it open because I came back from the bathroom and she was gone.”

“Did you check the neighborhood?” his mum asks. “Ask around?”

“Yes we went all around, went into the park and everything. She was nowhere,” he replies miserably, tucking his forehead into his pillow. “And to make everything worse her dog tags are wrong. They’ve got the old number so even if someone tried to call they wouldn’t get me.”

He hears his mum curse on the other end of the line, then she lets out a sad sigh. “I’m so sorry, Louis,” she tells him. “But you have to have faith, love. She’ll make her way back to you.”

Louis shakes his head into the pillow, eyes tearing up again. “Mum, you and I both know that the chances-”

“Louis Tomlinson,” his mum cuts him off sharply, “what is the one thing I always told you never to be?”

Louis huffs a breath. “Defeatist.”

“Exactly,” his mum agrees. “You have a very smart dog there, young man. And I’m sure she’s just as excited to get back to you as you are to have her back.”

“As long as nothing bad happened to her,” Louis counters.

“It’s Christmas,” his mum says, like that changes anything. “And miracles work overtime at Christmas. Look at you.”

It’s something his mum has said to him ever since he was little, that he was her Christmas miracle. He doesn’t feel like much of a miracle right at this moment, though.

“It’ll take a miracle for me to find her,” he says.

“Did you make posters? Post online?”

“Liam is making posters but… But I suppose I could post online. I don’t know where though.”

“Tell him there’s a London missing pets Facebook page!” yells a muted voice from the background.

“Your sister wants you to know that there’s a London missing pets Facebook page,” his mum recites, a laugh in her voice. “In case you didn’t hear her.”

“Tell Fizzy I said thank you,” Louis replies. He flips over onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. “Dunno if it’ll help, though.”

“Well it won’t with that attitude!” his mum tells him, predictably. “I know you’re upset, love, and I understand. But you have work to do. You’ve got to get your lovely friend back because I expect to see her at Christmas dinner.”

It feels like a long shot. The _longest_ of shots. A week doesn’t seem like enough time. Who _knows_ how long it’ll take to track her down, if he can track her down at all? But his mum is waiting for a response on the other end of the line, the silence expecting and determined, so he has no choice but to say, “She’ll be there.”

“Good,” his mum says, satisfied. “You _will_ find her, Louis. Liam will make sure of that, I’m sure.”

Louis thinks back to his best friend, who is probably up on his computer on PhotoShop making the nicest Missing Dog posters that were ever created. Probably making multiple versions, even. Liam’s the type who will stay up all night making sure it looks perfect. Louis feels a swell of love for his friend.

“I know,” Louis agrees quietly.

“Keep me posted,” his mum says. “Daily updates, Louis.”

“I will,” he tells her. “Thanks, mum.”

“Take heart, love,” she says. “Now go find your girl.”

\---

When Niall opens the door to his flat, Harry has to stifle a laugh. Niall is wearing a headband with antlers, pinning back the floppy bangs of his brown hair, and green and red flannel pajamas. Harry holds out the cup of mint hot chocolate wordlessly and steps inside, carefully guiding Molly inside with the leash he nabbed at a pet store on his way to Niall’s.

  
“Cheers,” Niall says as he takes the cup, immediately removing the lid and taking a big whiff.

Harry laughs and kneels down, unhooking Molly’s collar from the leash. She sits next to his feet and looks up at Niall, dark eyes watching him sip his drink.

“Gorgeous dog,” Niall comments, kneeling down himself and patting at Molly’s fur. “What’s its name?”

“Molly,” Harry answers. “Molly, this is my best mate Niall.”

Niall holds out a hand and Molly immediately holds out a paw to shake. Niall lights up brighter than the Christmas tree tucked into the corner of his living room. “Oh my God, I love her!”

Harry laughs and rubs Molly’s neck. “She’s brilliant. I was worried she’d be freaking out but she’s been calm since I found her. I just wish I knew how to find her owner.”

Niall hums in agreement. “She isn’t dirty or wet at all,” he says, eyeing up the fur along her paws and tail. “It rained pretty bad last night so I don’t think she’s been out that long.”

“Yeah,” Harry answers. “Should we try feeding her?”

“Sure,” Niall stands up. “I dug out the bag of salmon food. Hopefully she isn’t allergic.”

“C’mon, girl,” Harry calls, walking towards Niall’s kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

Molly stands and follows closely at Harry’s heels. She sniffs the air when Niall opens the bag of food and her tail wags quickly when she spots the bowl headed towards her.

“Alright, Molly,” Niall announces, leaning down and placing the bowl at her feet, along with a bowl of water. “You gotta let us know how you like this.”

The two watch Molly nose at the dry food resting in the bowl before taking a tentative first bite, then another, then begin digging in.

“Oh good, she likes it,” Harry comments, giggling at the crunching as Molly eats. “She’s not too nervous to eat.”

“What’s your plan?” Niall asks, stepping away and grabbing his wallet from his kitchen counter. “I ordered Thai, by the way.”

“Thanks. And I don’t know. I think I’m just gonna have to keep an eye out for lost dog posters and hope for the best. There’s an address on her collar but if the number is outdated the address probably is too.”

“Check Facebook and Craigslist too,” Niall tells him as he pulls a few bills from his wallet. “Check to see if anyone’s posted about their dog going missing.”

“I will,” Harry replies just as the buzzer to Niall’s flat goes off. He watches Niall head to the door to buzz up the delivery guy and takes the time to glance down at Molly. She’s eaten most of the food out of the bowl and is now sitting next to it, staring up at Harry with a (hopefully) content pant.

When Niall returns with the food, he plops the bag on his counter and goes to his cabinet for plates. “We’ll find her owner. She’s got to live nearby.”

“I just hope her owner isn’t like, ninety five and doesn’t use social media and can’t use a copier or something.”

Niall cackles. “Me too. But we’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks for this, by the way,” Harry motions to the food. “And for the dog food. All your fostering comes in handy.”

Niall laughs again. “Eatin’ me out of house and home, these dogs. But Molly is a good cause.”

“She is. I just hope her owner isn’t too petrified,” Harry says thoughtfully, though by taking a look at the love bug watching him and Niall from her place next to the food bowl, he doubts it.

\---

Louis is petrified. _Petrified_. It’s been a full 24 hours since Molly went missing and he’s cased every street near his flat. That morning Liam helped him post Missing posters on every pole they could find on every street and all through the park. Following Fizzy’s advice, he also posted on Facebook about Molly and he can only hope that someone will see it and have seen Molly or hopefully have her with them.

It seems like a dumb thing to harp on but Louis makes his way to the pet shop so he can create new dog tags, even though the ugly part of his brain won’t shut up about how he probably won’t need them because he’s never going to find her. He gets them anyway, a bone shaped tag like her old one and a bright red collar to put it on. He likes the idea of her having a red collar for Christmas.

When he gets back home, he settles into unpacking again. The work helps calm his nerves a bit, giving him something to focus on, but when he pauses to change the song on his phone or get a drink of water, the fear and doubt creep back into his mind. The guilt tugs on his heart. His stomach is in knots and he goes the day eating only a few crackers and handfuls of dry cereal, robotically unpacking boxes and laying out clothes, trying to put together his new dresser and giving up halfway because he knows he can’t figure it out without Liam, and scrubbing down the second small bathroom adjacent to his kitchen.

The second day Molly is missing, Louis goes grocery shopping and starts putting his closet into some semblance of order. Really he’s just busying himself by forcing himself to keep moving because if his body is moving his brain mostly isn’t. He finds it therapeutic in some weird way, pushing his body to carry on when it feels like his insides are slowly cracking apart.

On the third day, he’s starting to lose hope. He hates himself a little bit for it.

Liam comes over before he goes to work and helps Louis put together the rest of his dresser. As he leaves he promises to call Louis later. His now-finished dresser gives him a chance to start organizing the rest of his clothes. He doesn’t know how he accumulated so many and why he didn’t toss or donate more when he was packing them up but staring at the piles on his bed that need to be placed into drawers is daunting. Still, it’s work that needs to be done and he welcomes the task, if only because he has almost an entire day facing him.

Once his clothes are tucked away, he sets out to look for Molly again. He walks a few blocks surrounding his flat in each direction, spotting the fliers he and Liam stapled to poles but not Molly herself. Not that he expected much. _It’s been days,_  his brain taunts, _she could be anywhere_.

He gives up at a little before seven o’clock, returning to his darkened flat and flopping down onto his couch. He drags his phone from his pocket and sees he has a text from his mum asking how things are going. He also has a text from Liam saying he reposted Molly’s picture on the Facebook to make sure it’s at the top. He takes a moment to scroll through the page until he gets to posts he’s seen already, then he tosses his phone aside.

It’s a Wonderful Life is playing on TV and he lets himself sink into the couch cushions. He falls asleep at some point because suddenly he’s blinking at the ceiling and hears a splash as Clarence jumps into the water. He also feels his phone vibrating underneath his back.

It takes his limbs a second to catch up, delayed with sleep and overall fatigue. When he manages to unearth it from underneath his back, he glances at the screen. Liam.

“Hey,” he answers, reaching blindly for the remote so he can mute the TV.

“Hey man,” Liam says, voice muffled slightly. “How are you holding up?”

“About ready to walk into oncoming traffic,” Louis answers, heaving himself up slightly so he can turn onto his stomach and bury his face in a cushion.

“Sounds about right,” Liam replies. “I got home like a half hour ago and I’m just about to go for a run. I’m gonna plaster some more posters up. I made a new set.”

“Didn’t have to do that,” Louis says quietly.

Liam goes on like Louis hadn’t said anything. “I asked my mate who’s a graphic designer and he told me that I should do one with another picture of her in a different angle ‘cause even if people saw her they might not have seen her head on and getting one from like, the side, might trigger something for them.”

“Huh,” Louis mutters, “makes sense.”

“Yeah so it’s mostly the same thing but a new picture. I just went and printed a bunch. I’m going to staple them around. Want me to come over after?”

“I don’t want you to have to babysit me, Li,” Louis answers, though the _yes yes yes please come over_ is clawing at his throat.

“I’m not babysitting you, I’m just gonna come over and I’ll try to cook something maybe or get takeaway. We can even get drunk if you want.”

“I want,” Louis replies immediately, “I definitely want.”

Liam laughs. “Alright I’m just pulling on my shoes. I’ll give you a call when I’m close to your place.”

“Got it,” Louis answers. “Thanks, Li.”

“See you in a bit,” he says and then the line goes dead.

Louis just drops his phone to the floor next to the couch, eyes turning to his TV once again. He considers unmuting it but kind of likes watching it with the volume off. He tries to remember the lines from all the times he watched it with his mum. He doesn’t unmute it until George runs back into his house in a crazed glee.

“Isn't it wonderful!? I'm going to jail!” George yells on screen and Louis smiles in spite of himself.

He doesn’t stop smiling as Mary runs into the house and is followed by all the townspeople offering up their money to help George, as he hears the telegram from Sam Wainwright offering George up to $25,000, as the warrant for his arrest is ripped up and everyone sings Auld Lang Syne together.

It’s just as George opens the book and reads his last message from Clarence, _no man is a failure who has friends_ , that he realizes his phone is vibrating again. When he sees the screen, he picks up immediately.

“Hey, are you nearly here?”

There’s a rush of heavy breathing or maybe wind down the line, and Louis’s heart stops in his chest when he hears Liam rush out, “Louis, we’ve got her!”

\---

After Harry and Niall share the Thai food Niall ordered and Niall makes a bowl of popcorn, they climb onto his couch to watch Christmas movies, flipping back and forth between channels during commercial breaks. At first Molly lays down next to them on the floor but eventually she sits up and jumps up onto the couch, settling between them and seemingly watching the movies herself. Harry finds himself rubbing her neck and scrubbing through her fur absent-mindedly. She doesn’t seem to mind.

Niall sends Harry home with a bag of food and promises to bring Molly by again if he can’t manage to track down her owner. The walk home to his flat goes by much quicker with Molly in tow, in spite of her stopping to sniff poles and managing to eat a bite of dropped pretzel on the sidewalk when Harry wasn't looking.

When they get back to Harry’s flat, Harry unhooks her from her leash and she sits patiently by his door, staring up at him expectantly.

“So I’m not sure what your normal routine is,” Harry tells her, looking down and watching her face to see if she gives him any indication what she is waiting for. “Do you share a bed with someone at home or do you have your own spot?”

Molly just lets out a soft bark and stands up, nudging Harry’s leg with her nose.

“So you wanna come share with me, then? Or you can have the couch to yourself.”

Molly just walks away, wandering into his living room to begin sniffing all his furniture and sniffing along the floor to ceiling window that leads to his tiny balcony (that’s more like a ledge with a railing). Her breathing fogs up the glass.

Content that she’ll follow him if she needs him, Harry heads into his bedroom to begin getting ready for bed. As he’s brushing his teeth, though, he jumps about two feet in the air when he feels something brush the back of his leg. Toothbrush dangling from his mouth, he spins around to see Molly padding around his bathroom. She noses along the edge of his bathtub and he sees her tongue dart out to lick up a small puddle of water that always seems to leak from his shower even when it hasn’t been used.

When Harry climbs into bed, Molly wastes no time in jumping up next to him. She curls up at his waist and stares at him, still expectant.

“I know you probably understand English but I wish you could speak it,” Harry says conversationally as he unlocks his phone. He Googles sites for missing pets in London and finds quite a few. He clicks on a few Facebook pages but none of the pictures match Molly. He feels a little disheartened when he sees just how _many_ pets are missing, some have been for weeks. He feels even worse when he realizes there isn’t just one page devoted to missing pets; there’s multiple. He vows to keep checking but with so many out there he might miss something.

Harry doesn’t remember falling asleep but he’s awoken at just after six in the morning with Molly licking his face. He jolts awake in confusion, rubbing his face with his hand and staring around his dark room. He slowly comes to, though, when Molly just starts licking his arm.

“Oh hey girl,” he says, “nearly forgot about you.”

In response, Molly just jumps off the bed and barks before walking back into Harry’s living room. He glances out his open door which gives him a clear view into the living room only to see her pawing at the door. In his sleep-deprived brain it takes him a few seconds to understand that she needs to go out.

So that’s how, at close to six fifteen, Harry is shucking on a hoodie and a pair of shoes and dragging his ass downstairs to let Molly outside.

In spite of not being used to those types of wake-up calls, Harry finds that Molly proves to be the best flat mate he's has ever had. She seems to know exactly what he’s thinking at all times, like when he can’t find a vitamin that rolled off his kitchen counter and the next thing he knows she’s pawing it from underneath his kitchen table. She also turns out to be one of the best conversationalists Harry has ever met, barking congenially when he asks her questions.

He’s grateful he had the foresight to take off work the days leading up to Christmas, planning on heading home to see his family in advance. He’s not sure what he’s going to do now, though, because he can’t leave Molly alone. He feels sick at the idea of taking her to a shelter and having no idea what will happen to her. Especially when there has to be, there just _has to be_ , someone out there missing her.

He asks Niall for advice when they meet up three days into Harry sheltering her. In that time, he’s learned that Molly loves to sleep with her tongue out, loves the roasted lamb food Niall gave him, and really dislikes the shag carpet Gemma gifted him as a joke for his birthday last year (he caught her gnawing on the frayed ends on more than one occasion and only half-heartedly told her to stop).

“I don’t like the shelter idea either,” Niall admits as he dips a breadstick into some marinara sauce. “Like I said the other night she’s too well kept to be abandoned, I think. Doesn’t seem like someone just dropped her on the side of the road either.”

“What would you do?”

Niall hums thoughtfully for a moment, stealing a cucumber from Harry’s salad. “Dunno, probably case the area again. You haven’t been back to the park have you? Where you found her?”

Harry shakes his head. “No, not since I found her.”

“Start there,” Niall suggests. “She probably doesn’t live far from there. You might get lucky. Catch a lead or something. Have you looked online?”

“Yeah but there are dozens of Missing Pets pages on Facebook,” Harry answers. “She could be on one or any of them but I might not see it.”

“I’ll look too,” Niall says, “but check the park again. And like, around the area. Make sure you bring her. If she lives nearby someone might recognize her.”

So Harry goes out that very night with Molly. It’s actually really cold and he feels bad when he sees her fur blowing in the wind but she doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seems to enjoy the cold air; her tongue keeps lolling out like she’s tasting it.

He makes his way to the park following the route he took the other night on his run, down the block and weaving down a few side streets until he comes up to the high street where he can just make out the rainbow star at the other end of the park. Molly seems to recognize where she’s at because she picks up the pace and Harry laughs at the puffs of hot air he can see billowing from her mouth as they walk.

He doesn’t spot anyone looking their way, other than the occasional “look at that pretty dog!” as they walk past couples on park benches drinking coffee and hot chocolate and one little girl who goes, “Mommy mommy!” and points at Molly with excitement.

They walk together to the other end of the park, Molly sticking close to Harry’s side the entire time. She’s an excellent walker and only once tugs a bit on her leash when a woman walking a massive Great Dane passes them going the other direction, the two dogs pausing to sniff each other before heading on their way. Before he knows it, Harry is standing back in front of his favorite tree and staring up at the rainbow star.

“D’you think whoever picked that star realizes rainbows are an LGBT symbol?” Harry wonders aloud, glancing down at Molly to see if she has any thoughts on the matter. She just putters around his feet, nose digging into some loose soil on the ground.

Harry jumps in shock when a voice gasps behind him and he hears a high-pitched squeal on a not-so-high-pitched voice go, “ _Molly?!"_

Harry whirls around to see a guy staring at them. He’s got a beanie on but Harry can see traces of brown hair peaking out around his ears. His face is flushed, from exertion on the cold Harry doesn’t know. But he’s staring at them in equal parts shock and glee.

Molly woofs at the stranger and tugs on the leash trying to get to him. He doesn’t have time to react, though, because the guy is weaving through a few stragglers on the sidewalk and practically bounces up to them, getting on his knees and grabbing Molly around the neck to tug her in for a big hug.

Harry watches as Molly licks the guy’s face, his eyes and nose and mouth, and realizes a second later that he may be her owner.

“Are you Louis?” he asks, feeling only a little bad about cutting into the reunion.

“Huh?” the guy says, glancing up at Harry and grinning sheepishly. “Oh shit, no, sorry man. No. My name’s Liam.” He stands up and offers his hand to Harry. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Harry,” he replies as he takes Liam’s hand. “How do you know Molly?”

“She’s my best mate’s. Louis’. Shit, can you give me a second? I’ve got to call him.”

He doesn’t wait for a response before whipping his phone out of his pocket, scrolling furiously. Harry takes a moment to kneel down and pet along Molly’s ear, scratching like he’s found she likes. He smiles, feeling relieved that Molly seems to be heading home but also sad. It’s not like he expected to keep her forever, but part of him entertained what it would be like to have her around permanently. He can’t help but love her. Molly seems to recognize his change in mood because she turns her head and kisses his cheek.

“Louis, we’ve got her!” he hears overhead. “I’m not fucking with you, I’m looking right at her. Yes she’s fine. Yes. Get here now, the park three blocks from you. Yeah, that one. By the big tree with the rainbow star. Yup. Yup. Bye.”

“He’s on his way,” Liam announces, albeit unnecessarily. “He’s going to be so relieved. I feel like he won’t believe me until he sees her.”

“Yeah,” Harry agrees, mostly for something to say. “I, uh, I tried calling but the number’s disconnected and the address is in Doncaster.”

“He just moved here a few days ago from Doncaster,” Liam explains. “The phone number is actually his mum’s old house but she moved last year otherwise you’d have gotten her when you called. He’s been kicking himself over not updating her tags before he got here but we never expected Molly to run off like that. She’s usually very well behaved.” He says the last point to Molly, looking down at her deliberately.

“I found her here the other night,” Harry says. “I don’t think she was out long though.”

“We probably just missed each other,” Liam replies, muttering a rather colorful _motherfucking shit_ under his breath. “We cased the whole park. Put up fliers and everything.”

“I’ve been looking on Facebook at missing pets pages.”

“We’ve been _posting_ on missing pets pages,” Liam says. “What the fuck.”

Harry laughs on a breath. “I guess… I guess this is how we were supposed to meet,” he says on a shrug. “The universe is a bit dramatic.”

Liam laughs as well. “Well, thank you for taking care of her, Harry. She seems to like you very much.”

“She’s a sweetheart,” Harry says, glancing down. Molly isn’t paying them any mind. “I’m gonna miss her, to be honest.”

Liam goes to speak but before he can they both start at the “Molly!” that comes from behind him. Harry doesn’t have to guess who it is as the figure barrels up to them and collapses on the ground, heaving big breaths and shaking like a leaf.

“Hello my love!” Louis says, wrapping his arms around her. Molly recognizes him immediately, bouncing on her hind legs as she drapes her two front paws on his shoulders and licks all over his face, covering his skin in a thin sheen of slobber.

Harry watches the exchange for a moment before dropping the leash from his hand.

“I missed you, love,” Louis says loud enough for only the small group to hear. “I don’t know what I’d do without you." It almost feels intrusive, watching this reunion. "You're my best friend."

“Hey!” Liam says indignantly, giving Louis a mock-offended look. “Last I checked it was your human best friend who plastered London with posters.”

Harry catches a slight redness in Louis’ eyes as he looks up at Liam and gives him the finger. It’s like he then realizes that there is another person with them, which is actually probably true. He sees Harry standing there (kind of awkwardly if Harry wants to admit it) and he rubs at his eyes furiously before standing up, keeping a firm grip on Molly’s collar.

“Hi,” he says. He’s wide-eyed and looking a bit bashful. “Sorry, bit emotional is all.”

“Nah,” Harry says, brushing it off. “No worries.”

“I’m Louis,” Louis says, holding out his free hand. “I’m Molly’s human.”

It’s endearing, to hear Louis say that. In a split second he takes in the ruffled brown hair on Louis’ head, the blue sweatshirt and black tracksuit bottoms he’s wearing. He looks like a mess, honestly, completely disheveled thanks to days of worry. But all that seems secondary to the fact that he can _feel_ the energy radiating off of him. Nerves, relief, happiness, just the general feeling of being overwhelmed. He takes in the full figure of the guy standing in front of him. Harry can make out the sharp definition of his jawline but it’s softened by the expression on his face, all hardness scrubbed away by the raw feeling.

And then he lands on his eyes. They’re so _blue_ , even in the shitty light of the lamps around them and the glowing bulbs on the tree. It’s another split second for Harry to refocus.

“I’m Harry,” Harry replies. “Molly is lovely.”

“I know,” Louis says, giving a soft smile to the girl in question. “I’m a bit of a wreck, to be honest. I’ve been going mad.”

“I can imagine,” Harry says. He tugs his coat a little tighter, feeling the wind cut into his skin now that the intensity of the moment seems to be ebbing and the rest of the world comes back into focus. “She’s been with me at my flat the last few nights. My mate fosters dogs and gave me some food and so I’ve just kind of been, you know, keeping her safe.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Louis says. “Like, literally I don’t even know what to say.”

“Thank you,” Liam pipes up from behind him. “You’re like a miracle.”

Harry smiles, running a hand back through his hair, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Can I give you anything?” Louis asks. “Money for the food?”

“No, no,” Harry says, holding up a hand. “Definitely not. It’s not necessary.”

“It may not be necessary but you kept her safe,” Louis goes on. “You’ve done so much.”

“It was no bother,” Harry says, still shaking his head. “Really, she was lovely to have around.”

“Could I, like,” Louis starts, then stops, chewing on his lower lip. “Coffee? Do you drink coffee?”

“It’s been known to happen,” Harry says, chuckling.

“Could I buy you a coffee?” he asks. “Please? Or like, a scone or something?”

Harry laughs. “Will it really make you feel better?”

“It really would,” Louis says. “It doesn’t feel like it’s enough but…”

“Okay,” Harry agrees. “Coffee. And a scone, since you offered.”

“Coffee and a scone,” Louis nods. “I’ll, uh, text you?”

“Sure,” Harry says. “Do you have your phone?”

Louis reaches into his sweatshirt and pulls out his phone, handing it over to Harry. Louis readjusts the leash on Molly, a bit of it tangling around her ankle, and by the time he’s standing again Harry has added his number to Louis’ contacts and he’s feeling a bit out of place now that his job is done.

“Well, I’ll let you get to it,” he says. “I’m glad everything worked out okay.”

“Thank you so much,” Louis says again. “Really. I’m so grateful she found you.”

Harry smiles and leans down to give Molly one last pet. He feels his heart clench when she licks at his palm. “You’re welcome. Have a good night you guys. It was nice to meet you!”

“You too,” Liam pipes up. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Harry says, and he waves one final time before taking a step back and turning around to head back to his flat. He hears Louis talking again, undoubtedly to Molly as his voice has gone up a few octaves and he hears words like “baby” and “sweetheart” thrown around before he’s walked too far to hear anymore.

His flat is dead silent when he steps inside. The first things he sees are the bowls he set out for Molly’s food and water. He can’t explain the absence he feels looking at them, only knows that it goes beyond the fact that she’s no longer physically in the flat. It’s like… It’s like she was missing before and then he found her and...

 _She found you._  That’s what Louis said.

Not that Harry found her. Molly found him. And thinking back on the last few days, right up to the night he ran into her in the park, Harry realizes he’s right. He hadn’t been looking but there she appeared anyway.

It’s a melancholy experience picking up her bowls and washing them out. He clips the rest of the bag of dog food shut to keep it fresh before he can return it to Niall. When he collapses on his couch, he feels a twinge of sadness that Molly isn’t there to join him.

It’s silly, he thinks to himself. He only took care of her for a few days. He really shouldn’t have gotten so attached. Niall fosters all the time and he’s always sad to see them go but he doesn’t recall Niall ever talking about this gnawing feeling like something is missing when it happens.

But here he is. As he flips on his TV and ponders what the rest of his night looks like, whether he should start packing to go home or just crash, he thinks about not feeling like the same person he was just a few days ago. His existence in Molly’s life might have been brief but her presence irreversibly changed his.

\---

The first thing Louis does after getting Molly home is attach her new dog tags. The second is call his mum and tell her the good news. And he absolutely does not cry, damn it.

The next morning Louis can’t help but go a bit overboard in spoiling Molly. He lets her have a whole drumstick to herself when he orders takeaway and he gives her a bath to freshen up her fur. She’s the only dog Louis’ ever known to actually preen while in the bathtub.

There’s still so much to do before Louis starts his new job on the 27th, like sorting out his outfits for his first week and doing a bit of meal prep (read: plot out where he’s going to order lunch and dinner each day because he’s going to be stressed enough without having to cook on top of that). But he drops it all in favor of spending a day lounging on the sofa with Molly watching bad TV. He keeps the leash that was with her when he got her from Harry. Harry must have bought it himself and that makes Louis feel warm in a way he doesn’t expect.

It’s as he’s packing to go home to Doncaster that he realizes Molly looks a bit confused. At first he thinks it’s because it’s a new flat. But he’s moved before and she never reacted this way to it. She follows him into the bathroom and he watches her nose along the tub, almost like she’s looking for something though he’s not sure what since the bathroom is virtually spotless. It’s as he takes her for a walk just after dinner that he really notices something is up because she tugs him along like she has a specific route she wants to take. When they come up on the park, Louis begins to understand. When she takes him in the direction of the tree with the rainbow star, it really sinks in.

She doesn’t stop directly in front of the tree like Louis half expects her to, but she does walk around the tree a couple of times. He walks her over to a bench nearby and sits down. She sits next to him on the ground, tail thumping rhythmically. He watches the ebb and flow of passersby, people with bags doing some last minute Christmas shopping and the occasional biker and a few other people walking with dogs or their children.

Looking up at the tree with the rainbow star, he finally lets himself feel like it’s Christmas. Moving, losing Molly, the stress of his impending job… He let it peck away at the best bits of the holiday: his happiness at being with his family, how lucky he is to have Molly, getting to look around and see twinkling lights and hear Christmas music and watch corny movies that make him happy anyway.

He thinks back to what his mum said, about being her Christmas miracle. Getting Molly back was his, he knows it. But he also feels like there’s something more to it, something he hasn’t quite grasped yet.

Molly suddenly jumps up onto the bench next to him and nuzzles his arm. He rubs her neck absently, thinking that she’s looking for attention. But then she barks, _loud,_ in the direction of the tree. It gets Louis to look over. And then he sees.

Harry.

They only met for a few minutes before, Louis making an idiot of himself during the exchange by being all teary and awkward. Harry was very pleasant but he can’t imagine he really wants to see him that much. They don’t even know each other. Louis said he’d buy him coffee, but he figured in the new year. Give time for the dust to settle.

That plan, it seems, is not good enough for Molly.

She jumps off the bench, leash sliding through Louis’ hand quick enough to sting, and hurls herself across the path, straight towards Harry who is bending down to tie a shoe. She barrels into his side, almost knocking him to the ground.

Louis' stomach drops out as he launches off the bench, following Molly to where she has Harry under assault, soft doggy tongue licking his chin and pawing at his chest.

“Molly!” Louis yells, exasperated. He literally just got her back and she’s taking off _again_?

Harry looks up from his position on the ground, part kneeling and part propped up on his bum. “Hi,” he says, and grimaces when his open mouth gives Molly an opening to lick right into it.

“I’m so sorry,” Louis says, reaching for Molly’s collar and tugging her off. “Fuck. I’m sorry. She saw you and just took off.”

“It’s okay,” Harry says, shuffling to his feet and brushing off his pants. “For a second I thought she got lost again.”

Louis groans and wraps Molly’s leash around his hand several times, _tight_. “I uh… I think…”

Harry raises an eyebrow. “You think?”

Louis looks up to the rainbow star. Then he looks at Harry. “I think she misses you.”

He’s taken aback by the brilliant smile that Harry shoots him, dimples cratering his cheeks. His hair is windswept and his nose is red. “Yeah?”

Louis smiles. “Yeah.”

Harry looks so pleased at that and Louis feels an unexpected lurch in his chest. “I miss her too.”

“I’ve never seen her with anyone like this before,” Louis goes on. “I mean she loves pretty much anyone but you… You’re special.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Harry says, echoing his words from their first meeting.

Louis feels his brow furrow as he looks down at Molly who is walking back and forth between them, nudging Louis’ legs and then Harry’s. “You are, though.” He looks back at Harry when he says, “And she has wonderful intuition, I trust her judgment more than my own but… Like I came here because she was pulling me here, _literally_ , and I feel like she knew you’d be here.”

Harry grins a bit sheepishly, shrugging. “I was gonna stay in tonight but maybe a part of me was hoping I’d see you guys again."

“I don’t think Molly ran off just because,” Louis says quietly. “Is that weird to say?”

Harry bites his lower lip. “No. And _that’s_ weird.”

He feels Molly nudge her head against the back of his knee, pushing him to take a step towards Harry. _I can take a hint_ , he thinks to himself and hopes Molly can hear him. He takes a breath, feeling emboldened by the fact that Harry doesn’t think he’s a psycho, and asks, “Do you think you’d want to get that coffee and scone now? I don't think she's ready to say goodbye to you yet.”

Harry barks a laugh, surprised but seemingly pleased. "Like a date?"

Louis shrugs nonchalantly. "Dunno, guess it depends on if you'd rather have it with me or Molly." He flashes a shit-eating grin because he can't help but add on, "Either way you get a chaperone."

Harry actually  _giggles_. "Proper courting and everything."

"I'm game if you are."

"I think I can deal with a helicopter parent, yeah."

Louis feels his cheeks flush as he says, "Brilliant."

“Great.”

Molly barks, and they both burst out laughing.

Louis adjusts his hold on Molly's leash and spins around. He waits for Harry to start walking next to him and then they step together, Molly between them as they set on down the path.

\---

Louis expects the first text he receives once the clock rolls over to midnight on December 24th to be from Liam, or maybe one of his sisters even though they're all currently under the same roof and they could just bother him in person.

Instead, it's a simple  _Happy Birthday, Lou_ from Harry.

Molly is the only one around to watch him bury his smile in his pillow and drift off to sleep before the screen on his phone goes dark.

\---

If New Year's Eve occurs and Louis rings in the new year with only Molly there to witness Harry kiss him at midnight, he trusts her to keep it to herself for now.

\---

_One Year Later_

Jay slices open the bright red envelope with a candy cane sticker sealing it shut, careful not to rip the contents inside. She rolls her eyes for a second before grinning and hanging the card (Molly in an ugly Christmas sweater sitting next to Santa, Louis and Harry in elf hats flanking both sides) on her fridge with a magnet.

_Santa Paws is coming to town! Merry Christmas and Happy Howlidays. With love from Louis, Harry, and Molly._

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on Tumblr at nooelgallagher.


End file.
